A World in Disbelief as Trump Pulls US Out of Paris Accord

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"A year and a half ago, the world came together in Paris around the first-ever global agreement to set the world on a low-carbon course and protect the world we leave to our children.

It was steady, principled American leadership on the world stage that made that achievement possible.  It was bold American ambition that encouraged dozens of other nations to set their sights higher as well... 

Simply put, the private sector already chose a low-carbon future.  And for the nations that committed themselves to that future, the Paris Agreement opened the floodgates for businesses, scientists, and engineers to unleash high-tech, low-carbon investment and innovation on an unprecedented scale.

The nations that remain in the Paris Agreement will be the nations that reap the benefits in jobs and industries created. I believe the United States of America should be at the front of the pack. But even in the absence of American leadership; even as this Administration joins a small handful of nations that reject the future; I’m confident that our states, cities, and businesses will step up and do even more to lead the way, and help protect for future generations the one planet we’ve got." Fmr President Barack Obama

On Thursday, after a week of indecision and keeping the world in suspense, and acting against the advice of 22 senators, Rex Tillerson, Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, Donald Trump breezed onto the lawn at the Rose Garden and announced that the US would pull out of the Paris Accord. Steve Bannon, Reince Priebus and Scott Pruit had won the day. 

The world is used to hearing America described as the most sophisticated democracy in the world, the assumption being that true democracy is the best system for progress in society on every front. Barack Obama's election in 2008 seemed proof of it; it was miraculous that an African American could win the hearts of the majority of voters, in a country long characterized by racism and wealth of opportunity for one race group at the cost of all the others, but African Americans in particular.

That Obama pulled the US back from the brink and went on to achieve what he did for America and the world, despite rank opposition from Republicans, reinforced the idea that this democracy deserved the position of world leader.

There wasn't any doubt in the minds of the majority of people paying attention that President Obama deserved the role and did it proud. Under his Administration the focus of global affairs turned from the bully power of war to the transformative power of diplomacy. No doubt either that First Lady Michelle Obama transformed her role and became a world leader in her own right, championing education, health and children's rights within America and internationally.

This remarkable couple, whose lives and work were driven by a desire to see social equality in every realm, exemplified dignity. The White House was a transformed place. American democracy was safe in their hands. And it was something the world could and did respect.

But now, that same democracy has produced a president who is no better than a corrupted, severely intellectually challenged, if not mentally deranged, banana republic dictator.

Supported by infighting, back-stabbing liars, racists and bigots, (some of whom have zero qualifications for their positions of immense authority), who have no problem sacrificing the health of more than 20 million people, or pushing the world to the brink of potential nuclear confrontation with North Korea. They promote social inequality, bigotry and racism, and are very busy creating a culture of disinformation second only to Vladimir Putin's.

They supported a candidate who ran on exploiting fear, rage, white supremacy hatred and sheer ignorance. A man who had no qualifications to be anything, let alone a president, and who garnered votes by promising to roll back every progressive policy instituted by the Obama Administration. America may be the most sophisticated democratic system on the planet, but perhaps our idea of what that produces needs adjusting if elections can be swayed by foreign powers, if districts can be so gerrymandered that one party can't win, if information that voters rely on to make their decisions is in fact disinformation. 

Democracy is an imperfect system; it's better than pure socialism, but it's a work in progress. As the world gets more and more interconnected, the effects of national elections and the actions of political parties and leaders are felt by citizens of other countries. They can't vote, but they can act. They're mostly democratic countries.

The solution may not lie in democracy. International disbelief at the stupidity of America pulling out of the Paris Accord is matched by resolve to protect our planet at all costs. So China is stepping up, France and Germany are forging a stronger partnership, Europe is girding its loins, and within America, states, cities, counties, and corporations are forging ahead, investing in renewables and in globalization. Stronger together.

Those who are afraid, and who want to go back to a world where fossil fuels can be exploited and the consequences ignored, flex their bully muscles and exert control. But it's a death rattle, and in fact their ship has already sailed. The world is never going back to isolationism, or to using fossil fuels with reckless abandon.

And in reality, it will take years for the US pullout to be effected. In that time, Donald Trump will be gone, and Republicans will be out of power. Damage done will be undone. One step back, two steps forward.

The most sophisticated democracy in the world will have averted its own catastrophic disaster. Whether it will still be world leader is questionable.

If America recedes from the world stage for a while because of the stupidity of a president the majority didn't vote for and are now struggling to get rid of, perhaps it will be a good thing. It will give the country time to get its own house in order. Barack Obama is just getting into his stride, free now from the shackles of the presidency. Hillary Clinton has also come out of the woods. Rep. Adam Schiff is doing a sterling job on the Russia investigation. And the Democratic Party has never been so unified and so focused.

This is not the end of the world.

Grexit Schmexit. Bravo To The Greeks and Alex Tsipras!

"You cannot keep on squeezing countries that are in the midst of depression."

President Barack Obama

“The humanitarian impact has been colossal—40 percent of children now live in poverty, infant mortality is sky-rocketing and youth unemployment is close to 50 percent…Right now, the Greek government is being asked to put a gun to its head and pull the trigger…The collateral damage will kill the Eurozone as a beacon of hope, democracy and prosperity, and could lead to far-reaching economic consequences across the world.” 

Thomas Piketty, Jeffrey Sachs, Heiner Flassbeck, Dani Rodrik, Simon Wren-Lewis*

There’s a great blues song “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down & Out”. Bessie Smith sang it, and so has Eric Clapton. The title says everything. It’s pretty much true. Most people either avoid you or pressurize you Not To Talk About It or to see the lighter side. If there isn’t one in sight for you, hey, just make it up. It won’t make you happy but they’ll be OK Jack. Oddly, they usually talk about themselves and their problems a lot. Ironic, that.

But being avoided or repressed isn’t the worst part. The worst is the people who lend a hand with the caveat “You have to tow the line if you want my help.” If that’s part of the deal then it’s really about bullies exploiting your vulnerability and disguising themselves as good Samaritans.

They look so strong, don’t they? But they aren’t. It’s one of life’s mysteries.

The arrogance of it, the moral superiority and the hypocrisy are mind-boggling. There’s only one way out of that mess; learn that you have the right to whatever assistance you need to get up on your feet and the right not to be bullied for your vulnerability. You learn to avoid the bullies. Amazingly, when you’re down and out and you feel at your weakest you find your greatest strength. Life is a series of miracles, that’s for sure.

Alex Tsipras and the Greek people are right at the top of that list. It was wildly exciting watching Tsipras stand up to the pressure of the Morally Superior in Europe and the vested-interest-owned Greek media whipping up a frenzy of fear with gross misinformation around what the referendum was really about and the definite consequences if the Greeks voted no. They voted no anyway. No to abuse, is what it boiled down to. What courage. 

The dire consequences failed to materialize. Now the IMF has come out in the open and said Greece needs some of its debt to be cancelled. Christine Lagarde, IMF Managing Director said the debt needs to be restructured. And the person standing in the way is of course Angela Merkel. Who doesn't want to offend the centrist right politicos.

Here's something she seems to have forgotten. Before and during World War II the German people allowed a psychopath serial killer to rule them and they supported him. Germany then wrought mercilessly cruel and unjust destruction on European countries who fought against the evil it harbored and promoted. Then when Germany itself, having lost the war, was half destroyed and heavily in debt, the very countries it had hurt so severely forgave half that debt and restructured the rest with terms that Germany could easily manage so it could rebuild. What had it done to deserve that kindness? Nothing.

If it hadn't received such forgiveness and generosity it wouldn't exist today in the position that it's in and the suffering of the German people would have been immeasurable for a very, very long time. That's the fate that so many Germans, with Angela Merkel leading them on, want the Greek people to suffer. 

If I make a list of everything bad that Germany did and set it against everything bad Greece has done the comparison is laughable. Under Hitler Germany was socially irresponsible, cruel, evil. It caused massive damage to a slew of countries which their people had to pay for; it was responsible for a war that caused the horrible death of millions and so much suffering the mind boggles.

Against that, Greece’s crime is what? An irresponsible government that’s not even in power any more. Yet Germany deserved forgiveness and assistance to rebuild and Greece doesn’t?

I wish somebody like Christiane Amanpour or Stephen Sackur from HardTalk would pin Angela Merkel down until she answered that question and grill her on her inhumanity, double standards and the economic stupidity of the austerity she has pushed. I wish they wouldn’t give her a single break, but would confront her with the realities of the humanitarian crisis she has triggered and continues to ignore, forcing her to expose herself. 

They could present a slide show of all the crimes that Germany was guilty of and then list the kindnesses it received despite that it didn’t ‘deserve’ them, followed up with a slide show of all the Greeks who have committed suicide, all the children whose lives have been turned into nightmares. 

Maybe she wouldn’t care but at least the world would pay attention and stop to think. Here's another interesting tidbit; Angela Merkel criticized Tsipras for holding a referendum. Apparently leaders shouldn't give their electorate a say in their own fate.

If I was German I’d be hanging my head in shame. If I was Greek I'd be so damn proud of myself and country.

*From an open letter to Angela Merkel.

Heiner Flassbeck, former State Secretary in the German Federal Ministry of Finance;

Thomas Piketty, Professor of Economics at the Paris School of Economics;

Jeffrey D. Sachs, Professor of Sustainable Development, Professor of Health Policy and Management, and Director of the Earth Institute at Columbia University;

Dani Rodrik, Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy, Harvard Kennedy School;

Simon Wren-Lewis, Professor of Economic Policy, Blavatnik School of Government, University of Oxford.